Paddy Bradley will be providing a presentation about the economy of Chippenham High Street,
Minutes:
Paddy Bradley, CEO of Swindon & Wiltshire Local Enterprise Partnership (SWLEP), provided the Area Board with a presentation focused on the economy of Chippenham High Street. Mr Bradley introduced that the Local Enterprise Partnership was 1 of 38 in the country, with a focus on the sustainable economic growth of Swindon and Wiltshire. The data provided was based on labour market intelligence tools as well as real time historic data from job postings, totalling 40,00 data sources. Key issues from the presentation included:
· Figures showed that Chippenham had high employment rates, with a high proportion of active and highly skilled workers as well as a lower proportion of claimants aged above 25.
· The strongest sectors for jobs in Chippenham were manufacturing as well as the public defence and construction sectors. These larger employers listed more available jobs over the past year.
· According to job search websites, Chippenham’s job listings fell in April 2020, however this was broadly in line with the rest of the UK. The greatest drops being in construction, hospitality, and finance.
· Figures showed that all sectors are recovering, including hospitality since May 2021.
· Nationally, job postings have generally recovered to pre-lockdown levels, however high streets have changed significantly with a number of large brands closing shops.
· Chippenham does not appear to have seen many shop closures, with limited commercial property vacancies in the town centre. Nationally, this has increased but is still below rates taken from the 2009 financial crisis.
· It was detailed that hospitality and retail job postings have been recovering in Chippenham, however this is still below pre-lockdown levels.
Following the presentation there was time for the following questions:
· Members of the Area Board raised concerns regarding Chippenham being a commuter town. Questions were asked surrounding why this was the case and what could be done to resolve this situation. Mr Bradley stated that from population surveys, Chippenham presented as being self-contained with 78% of those living there also working there. It was stated that some commuting does take place as a result of Chippenham’s proximity to Swindon and Bristol as well as the electrification of the railway. Mr Bradley stated that working from home could potentially resolve the issue as well as if the town was to change what was on offer in the centre to avoid the risk of creating a donut development, therefore enticing the population to remain. One potential suggestion was to increase the amount of town centre housing.
· Rural commuting into Chippenham was referenced, to which Mr Bradley identified that there is a need to level up those who are in rural locations, by means of public transport and recharging points.
· Employment figures were queried as there have been reports of shortages of employees in the hospitality and retail sectors. Mr Bradley stated that this is a countrywide problem, especially for locations that previously relied on tourism and have expanded due to population. There has also been an impact caused by Brexit, with people from European countries leaving posts as well as others being trained in different sectors due to negative messages. Long term this should improve.
· The current housing market was acknowledged and with there being few houses available for purchase and rent, Chippenham clearly maintains to be a good place to live. Mr Bradley agreed that the housing market is currently fast paced however this should eventually slow, it is then when there will be a challenge to ensure that there is growth in jobs and an appeal to people.
· The status of the Saddlers Mead business site was queried, to which Mr Bradley clarified that Wiltshire Council own the land and will make the decision regarding development.